- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 28/Jun 15:02

Rainy day magic

THE rainy season calls for warming and easy to prepare meals, soups do the trick but sometimes we just don’t have the time to prepare a good and satisfying pot of local soup, here are some delicious alternatives that will be as satisfying as soup. I have even thrown in some tender and mouthwatering scones that hit the spot on a rainy afternoon. Happy cooking! Coffee cake scones with pecan streusel crunch 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tbs baking powder ¼ cup granulated sugar ½ cup butter, unsalted 1 egg ½ cup milk or pourable cream Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flour with baking powder and sugar. Add butter and cut into flour until mixture is the texture of small peas. Combine beaten egg, with milk , add to flour and bring together with your hands. Place onto greased cookie tray cut into eights. Lightly brush with milk, and press streusel onto scones. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden. Makes 8 Streusel crunch ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon ¼ cup chopped pecans or mixed nuts 2 tbs cup butter, unsalted Combine all ingredients until mixture is clumpy through your fingers. Press streusel onto scones. Chicken loaf with smoky tomato sauce 2 tbs vegetable oil 1 large onion finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 red pimento peppers, finely chopped 2 tbs chopped parsley 2 lbs ground chicken 1 package Crix crackers, made into crumbs 1 egg ½ cup ketchup 1 tbs Dijon mustard 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce 1 tbs soy sauce 1 tsp chilli garlic sauce 1 tsp salt Sauce 1 tbs vegetable oil 1 small onion, grated 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbs ketchup 1 cup diced canned tomatoes, crushed with sauce 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce ½ tsp sugar 1 tsp smoked paprika Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x5 loaf tin with foil or parchment. Sauté the onions, garlic and pimento peppers in a shallow skillet for a few minutes until fragrant. Place in a mixing bowl, add the balance of the ingredients and mix well, your hands work very well. Work the mixture well, almost kneading it. Place into the prepared pan and cover with foil, bake for 1 hour. Remove the cover and spread the top with a little ketchup, bake for 30 mins more. Remove and cool in the pan before slicing. Top with tomato sauce and serve. For the sauce: Sauté onion and garlic in oil until fragrant, add all the other ingredients, stir well and cook until thick and bubbly, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shrimp po boys 4 sturdy hot dog rolls, split or French style buns ¼ cup butter 1 lb medium sized shrimp, peeled, de-veined and patted dry 1 tbs southern style seasoning powder 1 cup flour ¾ cup cornmeal 1 cup milk 1 tsp red hot sauce Veg oil for frying [caption id="attachment_1163411" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Shrimp po boys. - AP PHOTO[/caption] Cole slaw 1 cup shredded cabbage ½ carrot, grated 1 onion, grated ½-1 cup mayonnaise 1 tbs red wine vinegar 1 tsp red hot sauce Salt 4 lettuce leaves Butter the split buns and set aside. Combine shrimp with seasoning. Combine flour with cornmeal. Add hot sauce to milk and mix, dredge shrimp in flour mixture, then into milk and again into flour mixture. Combine all the ingredients for the cole slaw and set aside. Heat oil in a frying pan, fry shrimp until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Pre-heat grill or broiler, place buns onto baking tray buttered side up and grill until lightly toasted. Place lettuce into buns, followed with shrimp and top with cole slaw. Serve immediately Makes 4 Southern style chicken with soft fluffy dumplings 3 lbs chicken parts 1 tbs garlic, chopped 1 tbs minced chives 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp cayenne pepper 2 tbs vegetable oil 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup chopped green pepper 1 onion, chopped 2 tbs fresh thyme 1 cup chopped tomatoes Freshly ground pepper and salt Season chicken with minced garlic, chives, salt and black pepper. Combine flour with paprika and cayenne. Heat oil in a large sauté pan, dredge chicken in flour. Brown chicken in oil then add celery, carrots, green pepper, onion, and thyme. Cook until onion is fragrant, a few minutes. Add tomatoes and cover and simmer, add a little water to make a gravy if needed. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Make the dumplings, check chicken and add a little water if necessary to make a good gravy. Drop in dumplings and cook for a further 10 minutes, spooning sauce over dumplings to flavour them as well. Serves 4 Dumplings 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 eggs milk Combine flour with baking powder, add eggs and salt to taste, bring together With a little milk to make a soft, spoon-able dough. rahamut@gmail.com   [caption id="attachment_1163410" align="alignnone" width="856"] -[/caption] The post Rainy day magic appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.